Hiltons inLondon

I have not stayed at the two you mention, but I can recommend the Trafalgar St James Curio collection by Hilton. I stayed there for 5 nights in March 2019 and loved it. Beautiful hotel with a view roof bar/breakfast room. Great location on Trafalgar Square, across from the National Gallery, within walking distance of so many sites, West End theaters and good transit connections. I choose this hotel specifically because I was traveling solo for the first 3 days of the trip and had a theater heavy agenda. I felt safe and comfortable walking alone to and from the theaters after dark.

Of the two you asked about, Hilton Bankside in Southwark would be my choice.
Great location for walking to many tourist sights and along the south bank of the river.
You'd be near Borough Market and its food stalls, right beside Southwark Cathedral.
And walking distance to the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
You could walk over the Millennium Bridge to St Paul's, or walk farther east along the south bank and then over Tower Bridge to the Tower of London.

We also love the Trafalgar-such a great location.

Locate it in Goggle maps and see what you think.

Check out the two Hilton properties on Bayswater a block apart. They are on the northwestern end of Hyde Park. Three Underground stations are right there and they can take you anywhere in town quick. Kensington Palace is just across the street, and it's one of the in spots to be--Kate & Prince William's neighborhood.

One is Doubletree by Hilton London Kensington and the other is Hilton London Hyde Park.

I stayed in Southwark for the first time on my last trip to London. I was pleasantly surprised with how convenient it was. As mentioned, Borough Market and the Cathedral are close as well as the Globe Theater. We walked over the Millennium Bridge to St Paul's. It was nice being close to the Thames and there were a lot of transit stations. It felt safe.

I would go for one of the other Hiltons rather than the one at Angel - it’s much further from the centre (only near to Sadlers Wells theatre) and the area can be rougher than you might like, especially at night. Bayswater or Bankside are much more convenient areas

Bankside is our favorite location in London. We like to walk a lot, and the Thames Path is great for moving east-west in London. The path is lined with lots of restaurant choices, and offers wonderful views across the river as you walk, free of traffic noise. Cross the Millennium pedestrian Bridge from the Tate Modern to St. Paul’s, and the No. 15 bus will take you to the Tower of London to the east or Trafalgar Square area to the west. Other bus routes are easy to reach as well (we prefer buses to the Tube in London):

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/key-bus-routes-in-central-london.pdf

The Bankside Pier is nearby for using the river boats (I like those as well). And good Tube access if you want it, at London Bridge and Waterloo,

Islington does have access to things like King's Cross (every bus in the world seems to go there, a good thing, all right out front), and St Pancras Hotel and Station, The British Library with its Treasure Room (good for tired/rain days, lots of sights all inside one big room with comfy benches and a cafe' right there). Camden's nearby and Regent's park is there, and of course the Eurostar train's there in St Pancras Station.

Southwark would be for the large selection of sights on the Thames, Globe Theatre, view of Big Ben from the London Eye, in summer there are festivals on the greens right near there. Transportation to the other side of the river can be a bit of a challenge at certain times (Sundays), but it's nothing that a taxi can't solve.

Depends on what, specifically that you want. Southwark has Waterloo Station (buses go way around the side of the station and pick up in a different area than they drop off, so ask incessantly where and how to get BACK), and the Imax in its big traffic circle, probably more tourists and definitely more later-night noise near Waterloo and the Eye.

I love the St Pancras area, some of the best pubs that we found were there.
We stayed in Southwark, it's got a rougher edge, but has a lot of views of everything from Big Ben to Tower of London. I always bring a little monocular by celestron that I get from Amazon for $15, views like binoculars but lighter weight, useful for river views.

Islington would probably be easier to get TO, from Heathrow. Probably a little quieter area, there are parks and historic sights just behind St Pancras and along the little venice canal type river, got some options. :) Lots of universities there, that can have events. I found that as a prospective grad student, I'd get free tours of that local area if I asked a university for a tour. The Birkbeck tour guide took me all around for 2+ hours for free, gave me some little gifts, could be a thing in that St Pancras area too.

Either way your coin toss comes up, there are options for a great trip at both places! :)
-Alison

Does anyone have any thoughts about the Hilton at Paddington station?

Does anyone have any thoughts about the Hilton at Paddington station?

I've found they (Hilton at Paddington) are very convenient for non-guest toilets.. quite a formal looking hotel downstairs, very convenient for that part of town, less so for the central tourist attractions, now also on the Elizabeth Line, I've never been above the ground floor.

We just stayed at the Paddington Hilton and found it very convenient, especially since we arrived at Heathrow at 8 PM. It's walking distance to Kensington Gardens.The Hilton on Edgeware Rd was also convenient to the Tube station and a large Marks and Spencer store across the street. We are currently at the Hilton Doubletree Victoria since we are taking a Rabbies tour tomorrow morning and yes they give you the warm cookies when you check in
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